In Ark Simulator, why do I always get a tough start?

Chapter 105 "Prime Minister" Ensiodis? The Strange Phenomenon of Letania?

The new tribal council proceeded with exceptionally smooth progress thanks to your meticulous planning.

The three major families have all agreed to your "Decree of Grace," thus ending the Three Clans Council. All matters, large and small, in Sherag will now be decided by you alone.

Meanwhile, as you and your adoptive father had agreed, the three major families nominated your beloved younger brother, Enciodes, to serve as the "Prime Minister" of Sherag.

In the new power structure of Sherag, the Prime Minister is the highest-ranking official below you.

He can not only participate in discussions of political affairs, but also has the ability to mobilize military forces—of course, all of this is subject to your permission, King.

[At the same time, you appointed Fiona as "Left General" and Chen Huijie as "Right General," each commanding half of Sherag's military force.]

Having firmly grasped control of the most crucial military authority, you finally began to fill the almost blank power structure in Sherag.

You appointed your adoptive father, Olafell, as "Minister of Finance," putting him in charge of all financial matters in Sherag.

[Although it's said to manage money, in reality, Shelag only has the Karan trade as a source of revenue.]

However, you believe that in the future, with more and more investment pouring in, there will be more and more state-owned enterprises in Shelag, and your father will become increasingly busy.

[Also, you've appointed Nosis, who is currently accompanying Enciodes on his mission to Letania, as "Minister of Industry," giving him full authority over the industrial development of Sherag.]

Even Horn Peak and Weiss (the messenger), these two servants of your family, you entrusted with important tasks without regard to their status.

You put Horn in charge of recruiting and training a group called the "Youth Vanguard."

This unit, primarily composed of young and able-bodied men from Shelag, is responsible for patrolling and guarding Shelag on a daily basis.

These individuals will be selected as reserve members of the "Mountain Snow Demons" based on their performance and circumstances.

As for Weiss, you put him in charge of all communications and logistics for Shelag, and selected a group of suitable personnel to form a "messenger corps."

However, because Weiss is still inexperienced and lacks competence, you did not immediately appoint him as a minister, but instead allowed him to accumulate several years of work experience.

Of course, besides your own family members, you also bestowed titles upon some important members of other families.

You appointed Aktos as "Minister of Agriculture," putting him in charge of Shelag's most important agricultural work.

You naturally cannot grant military power to Actus, who was once a staunch conservative.

However, although Actos was conservative, he was once the head of the largest family in the Kjerag dynasty, and held great prestige. His loyalty to the Kjerag dynasty was exemplary.

[Given his prestige, it would be ideal to put him in charge of agriculture, which is vital to the lives of the Sherag people.]

After all, no matter how dissatisfied Aktos was with you, he wouldn't dare to cause trouble over the Sherag people's food.

Although Actus knows nothing about agriculture, the good thing is you don't need him to work in the fields.

He only needed to act like a clan chief concerned with agriculture, regularly checking on the reclamation of wasteland, as well as issues such as grain and rice storage.

Do you believe that this conservative, yet incorruptible and patriotic man is capable of handling this job?

As for Latatos, who was terrified by you, you gave her the position of "Minister of Livestock," putting her family in charge of their specialty, such as raising pack animals.

This position has nothing to do with military power or intelligence. Furthermore, Ratatos's sister and brother-in-law are under your control; you believe she wouldn't dare to cause any more trouble.

Although you still have many ministerial positions vacant, considering that Sherag is currently penniless, there's no need to set up so many departments in advance.

[Thus, in just a few days, you have completed the complete integration of Sherag.]

"It's amazing."

Beside Chen Qi, Enya, the saintess, looked at the "Sherragh Power Structure Diagram" that her brother had meticulously prepared in her hands, and couldn't help but say with shining eyes:
"In just half a month, you've completely taken control of Sherag, and you're managing it perfectly."

"The Holy Maiden is right."

Beside her, Yela, who had brought over a steaming cup of tea, chimed in with a loving smile:

"I'm afraid even the first king, Lord Yeragand, wasn't as skilled in management as His Majesty."

"I believe that before long, under His Majesty's rule, Sherag will be able to prosper and flourish, won't it?"

"—It's still a long way off."

Hearing Yela and Enya's praise, Chen Qi felt joyful, but he did not become complacent because of his achievements.

He knew very well that although Shelag was developing steadily and positively, it had only completed the prototype of a feudal system.

Although feudalism might be considered a relatively advanced civilization in Terra, the development of Sherag was still too slow.

“We are still lacking in many things. Not to mention industry and military, even the industries that the Sherag people depend on for their livelihood, such as agriculture, animal husbandry and textiles, have not yet reached a certain scale.”

“Relying solely on minerals is not enough; we must develop as many industries as possible to allow Shelag to accumulate more wealth.”

As a small energy nation primarily reliant on mineral resources, you understand very well that Kjerag's future cannot depend solely on energy.

However, limited by the size of Shelag, you are destined to be unable to carry out large-scale industrialization reforms here as you would in Letania.

[Unless one day in the future, Kjerag can have its own mobile city.]

[Or perhaps another "you" far away in Letania is willing to take Sherag as a refuge.]

Otherwise, Sherag's future diplomatic principles will inevitably be permanent neutrality and self-preservation.

"The future path for Kjerag... is a country with energy, trade and tourism as its main economic drivers."

"It is a peaceful country that can remain neutral on the continent of Terra, allowing everyone to put aside their hostility."

Under the watchful eyes of Enya and Yela, Chen Qi murmured his plans for Sherag's future.

"But the prerequisite for building such a nation is that we must make all the major powers feel that cooperating with Shelag is more worthwhile than conquering Shelag."

"To achieve this, we still need strong military support."

"Otherwise, Kerrig, which possesses abundant mineral resources but lacks the ability to defend itself, will only be conquered and enslaved by other countries."

Yera smiled and said, "I think Your Majesty doesn't need to worry too much about this."

"Shelag is a country under the protection of Yeragand. I think if Shelag really falls into crisis, Yeragand will not stand idly by."

"We cannot place all our hopes on Jeragand."

Hearing Yela's words, Chen Qi felt somewhat gratified.

Clearly, the guardian deity of Shelag has made her stance clear: she is willing to protect the land of Shelag.

However, the battle record of the two short lines against Sherag during the reign of Emperor Letania is still vivid in my mind.

Chen Qi had no choice but to shake his head firmly, and meeting Yela's slightly surprised gaze, he sighed softly:
"Yeragand may be a god, but even gods have limits and there are times when they are powerless."

"Just protecting Sherag from natural disasters must have consumed a great deal of divine power."

"And what if one day we are met with the regular army of an enemy country, with artillery, tanks and warships? Will Yeragand be able to protect us forever?"

"...I dare not gamble."

Chen Qi shook his head solemnly, meeting Yela's slightly absent-minded gaze, and said, word by word:

"The people of Shelag will one day have to take up arms and defend their homeland."

"If Jeragand sacrifices his life to protect Kjerag, causing Kjerag to lose the protection of the gods and become a truly desolate and barren land where no living thing can survive."

"Then, the people of Sherag have truly lost their homeland."

"...His Majesty's words are truly touching."

After a brief silence, Yela quickly recovered and returned Chen Qi's gentle, watery smile.

“I think if Yeragand heard this, he would be moved by your determination and would stand with you to defend Shelag.”

"I hope so." Chen Qi nodded with a helpless smile.

However, in the interactions between Yela and Chen Qi, both of them were well aware of each other's feelings, yet they deliberately chose not to reveal them.

Enya, who witnessed the interaction between the two, seemed to vaguely sense something.

As Enya watched Yera chatting happily with her brother, a strange feeling inexplicably arose in her heart...

How should I put it... it's kind of like jealousy?
But Enya couldn't tell for a moment who she was jealous of. "Speaking of which, brother."

Unable to understand, Enya interrupted their conversation and changed the subject, asking Chen Qi:

"Why do you keep the hostages from various families locked up in the side rooms of the Manju Academy, and besides sending them food and water every day, why do you also send them books?"

"Moreover, these books are not the stories from the Manju Academy's library, but rather books from our family about business, trade, and other skills."

"Brother, do you want them to be so bored that they have no choice but to read these books to pass the time?"

"clever."

Chen Qi nodded in agreement with Enya's guess:

“They are all members of the large families of Shelag. Although they have not received elite education, they are undoubtedly more capable than ordinary Shelag civilians.”

"I hope that during their time in detention they can learn more theoretical knowledge and find a field that interests them or that they are good at."

"Shelag still needs a lot of officials, and it would be great if they could fill the vacancies in Shelag."

As he spoke, a wicked smile crept across Chen Qi's lips, and he gave an order to Yela beside him:
"Yela, next time you bring water to the hostages, tell them that I will give them a test in a month, based on the books they have been reading."

"As long as they pass the exams, I will allow them to move around freely at Manju Academy."

"I think those of them who are bored out of their minds here will study this more diligently after hearing the news, right?"

"Yes~"

Hearing Chen Qi's unusual, forced learning approach, Yela smiled knowingly and obediently accepted the order.

Just then, accompanied by the sound of armor clashing, a mountain snow demon responsible for guarding the area appeared before Chen Qi and his group.

"Your Majesty, the Prime Minister has returned from Letania!"

"What? So fast?"

Upon hearing that Ensiodes had returned, Chen Qi and Enya both showed expressions of surprise and delight.

"Please!"

"Yes!"

In the past two weeks, in order to facilitate the transmission of government orders, Chen Qi had already ordered the construction of a cable car connecting the summit of Mount Sheng to the town.

Although it still takes half an hour to climb to the summit of the holy mountain, it is much faster than hiking.

Half an hour later, to Chen Qi's delight, Enciodes, whose clothes were covered in snowflakes and whose steps were more hurried than usual, arrived in front of his brother immediately.

"younger brother!"

"Brother!"

After half a month apart, the two brothers embraced each other again. They even briefly ignored Enya beside them and immediately started talking about official business.

"How was your journey in Letania, my dear brother?"

"—I have fulfilled my mission!"

Eager to share the joy of victory with his brother, Enciodes couldn't hide his smile and quickly said:

"I have personally met with the new emperor of Letania, and His Majesty has shown great interest in our Sherag's willingness to engage in long-term trade in minerals."

"As for the railways, industry, infrastructure and equipment we need, His Majesty the Emperor chose to support them without hesitation."

"He only has one requirement for us—a stable and long-term supply of large quantities of minerals to the Leitanian Empire."

"Great!"

Even the composed Chen Qi couldn't help but show a hint of elation at this resounding victory in trade.

After all, Chen Qi knew all too well what the long-term cooperation with Letania truly meant.

A long-term trade agreement can support a small country!
It is likely that in the coming decades, mining business with Letania will become an important source of economic development for Sherag!
But this was still not the news Chen Qi had hoped for.

"Brother, you just said that you successfully met with the Emperor of Letania, right?"

Chen Qi, suppressing his trembling heart, asked Ensiodes, word by word:
"Did you see the emperor's imposing presence? Did you notice anything unusual?"

"Did His Majesty the Emperor experience any unexpected emotions because of your arrival?"

“…Brother, I don’t quite understand what you mean.”

Faced with Chen Qi's series of questions, Enshiodis rarely showed a look of confusion.

However, knowing his brother well, Enciodes felt that since this was something his brother cared about very much, he had to report it truthfully.

And so, he gave a response that surprised Chen Qi.

“Brother, I did see the Emperor of Letania, but I don’t have a very strong impression of his appearance.”

"That emperor was tall and slender, and he always wore a golden mask, so we could not see his face at all."

"As for his attitude towards us... at least I didn't sense that the emperor treated us any differently."

"A golden mask?"

Chen Qi frowned slightly. He didn't remember wearing a golden mask when he was the emperor of Letania.

Could it be... that I guessed wrong?

The simulated Emperor of Letania is not himself?

Chen Qi frowned slightly, but then, unwilling to give up, pressed Ensiodes for an answer:

"Then, when you were with that emperor, did you ever see a blonde woman named Caprini, dressed in military uniform, following closely behind?"

"The Caprini Woman?"

After carefully recalling what was said, Ensiodis shook his head firmly after a long while and said:
"I have never seen it."

"But there was indeed a woman with that emperor, but it was not Caprini, but an Elafia woman, whose aura was not to be underestimated."

After saying that, Ensiodis also noticed his brother's furrowed brows and watched him pace back and forth thoughtfully, as if he were pondering something important.

Seeing his brother's surprised expression upon first meeting him, Enciodes hesitated for a moment before cautiously asking:

"...Brother? Is something wrong?"

"--Oh."

However, after a long while, Chen Qi, who had finally figured it out, revealed a smile and murmured thoughtfully:
"That's it, that's it."

"They really went to great lengths, but it seems that in the end, we still have to rely on ourselves."

Having received the information shared by Enciodes, Chen Qi now fully understood who his opponent in this simulation was.

It was a silhouette that incorporated his achievements, but was not of himself.

They possess the same great talent and ambition as you, and even similar experiences and personalities, but they lack your memories as a time traveler.

That was merely a "person" created by this world under the force of historical correction.

After all, there can't be two "yous" in one world.

However, this is fine.

Having extinguished the last glimmer of hope, Chen Qi, no longer needing to be restrained, suddenly knew exactly what he should do.

"Since an alliance is no longer possible, once the great war begins, it will be difficult for Sherag to escape the fate of being conquered."

"Therefore, we must develop Shelag as quickly as possible in the shortest possible time."

"We must do everything in our power to establish trade with as many countries as possible. The future of Shelag can only be protected by ourselves."

(End of this chapter)